Goffe, Thomas · published 1633 · first performed or written 1617 [c.1613-c.1618] (Annals) tragedy · at University T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.83 · 467 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
Now good my love, methinks I pity them, And prithee for my sake, I know them not, Abate thy edge of justice for this once. O what she spoke, to damn, it had been better. My love, thou know'st I never look too stern, Upon a fault that could ask lenity. But this is so transcendent, and so great, It must not be slipped without impunity, To do a heinous murder, and i'th' court, I'th' place of justice, where the King might hear, Upon a chief attendant of the Kings, Murder itself is past all expiation, The greatest crime that Nature doth abhor, Not being, is abominable to her, And when we be, make others' not to be, 'Tis worse than bestial, and we did not so, When only we by nature's aid did live, A Heterogeneous kind, as semibeasts, When reason challenged scarce a part in us, But now doth manhood and civility Stand at the bar of justice, and there plead, How much they're wronged, and how much defaced When man doth die his hands in blood of man, judgement itself would scarce a law enact Against the murderer, thinking it a fact, That man 'gainst man would never dare commit, Since the worst things of nature do not it. O how his words now rail against a sin, Which beat upon his conscious thoughts within. His tongue speaks fair, his inparts, look on them, And they like jurymen himself condemn: But O great King, if justice must have right, Let me stand only guilty in thy sight. No 'tis not King, 'twas I that did the deed, And for my action, let no other bleed. In troth this make my doom it cannot fall: Will none of you confess? Yes, I confess. No King, 'tis I confess. How now Lord Strophius, what affect you so, That makes your tears be wrayers of some passion. My gracious sovereigns, this strange spectacle Renews the memory of my once great loss, And my dear Queens, we once were blessed with two, Which so had linked themselves in bands of Love, As these men now do seem to me they have. One stream of love did in two hearts so glide, One with the other lived, with other died. And would my Queen be my competitor, For our son's sake my suits should join with her, Since justice craves but one, and both will go, Even save them both, and right wrong justice so. ay, good my love, let justice come and look, If she can find in all her statute book, Two men for the same crime should rightly die; She will not say so, justice cannot lie. And since they both will die, let one's love save The others' life, and so both life shall have.
nodes 1460–1517 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 24 of 38 in this edition
Length
467 words · 611 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.833 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: T7 · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Now good my loue, me thinkes I pitty them, And prethee for my sake, I know them not, Abate thy edge of Iustice for this once. O what she spoke, to dambe, it had been better. My loue, thou knowst I neuer looke too sterne, Vpon a fault that could aske lenity. But this is so transcendant, and so great, It must not be slipt without impunity, To doe a haynous murder, and i'th court, I'th place of Iustice, where the King might heare, Vpon a chiefe attendant of the Kings, Murder it selfe is past all expiation, The greatest crime that Nature doth abhorre, Not being, is abominable to her, And when we be, make others not to be, 'Tis worse then bestiall, and we did not so, When onely we by natures ayd did liue, A Heterogenious kinde, as semibeasts, When reason challeng'd scarce a part in vs, But now doth manhood and ciuility Stand at the bar of iustice, and there plead, How much the'r wronged, and how much defac't When man doth die his hands in blood of man, Iudgement it selfe would scarce a law enact Against the murderer, thinking it a fact, That man 'gainst man would neuer dare commit, Since the worst things of nature doe not it. O how his words now raile against a sinne, Which beat vpon his conscious thoughts within. His tongue speakes faire, his inparts, looke on them, And they like Iury-men himselfe condemne▪ But O great King, if iustice must haue right, Let me stand only guilty in thy sight. No 'tis not King, 'twas I that did the deed, And for my action, let no other bleed. In troth this make my doome it cannot fall: Will none of you confesse? Yes, I confesse. No King, 'tis I confesse. How now Lord Strophius, what affect you so, That makes your teares be wrayers of some passion. My gracious soueraigns, this strange spectacle Renues the memory of my once great losse, And my deare Queens, we once were blest with two, Which so had link'd themselues in bands of Loue, As these men now doe seeme to me they haue. One streame of loue did in two hearts so glide, One with the other liu'd, with other dide. And would my Queene be my competitor, For our sons sake my suits should ioyne with her, Since Iustice craues but one, and both will goe, Euen saue them both, and right wrong iustice so. I, good my loue, let iustice come and looke, If she can finde in all her statute booke, Two men for the same crime should rightly die; She will not say so, iustice cannot lie. And since they both will die, let ones loue saue The others life, and so both life shall haue.